


The Haircut

by Harmony_J



Category: Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Romance, Steve Trevor Lives, wondertrev
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 15:31:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13929999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harmony_J/pseuds/Harmony_J
Summary: Diana wants a haircut. She gets resistance from "Man's World."





	The Haircut

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a lighthearted and hopefully fun fanfic. It's Alternate Universe in that Diana and Steve end up together. This fic takes place in 1921. I'm not a historian but it was written in the spirit of the time period. There's brief references to corporal punishment and a reference to possible domestic violence.

1921  
Diana couldn’t believe the first barbershop she had gone to. The man flat out refused to cut her hair. He told her that she was a woman and that women had long hair; that was the way of it. She didn’t have much luck at the second one either. The man had agreed to do it but said to bring her husband with her. He wouldn’t do it without his permission. It was appalling to Diana. She and Steve had just left Europe. They had been there since the end of the war. Steve had proposed to her a year ago, and had brought her to his hometown to meet his parents.

Europe had been so forward thinking, women had already begun to cut their hair and the fashion had gotten much more sensible with slightly shorter hemlines and dropped waists. Women were starting to discard of their corsets also. Diana figured she was ahead of most of the women in the United States in that regard. She had worn a corset briefly and vowed never to repeat the mistake, besides as Etta Candy always reminded her she didn’t really need one anyway.

She missed Europe. There was so much to do and so many wonderful things to see. She had fallen in love with all the cathedrals and castles. They couldn’t be anymore grand to her. Here in Midwest America there wasn’t much but flat terrain and crops. The town where Steve had grown up seemed to be pretty backwards after all the big cities they had seen in Europe.

She passed another barbershop and about stormed into it ready to demand that the man cut her hair. She wasn’t going to give him a choice in the matter. She held herself back though. It might have worked out on the battlefield, but in “polite society,” as Steve put it, just going somewhere and doing whatever the hell you wanted and demanding something, didn’t always bode well with people. There had been more than one occasion where Steve had to smooth things over because of Diana’s impulsiveness. Steve never complained about it, but she could tell that sometimes he got tired of being the peace maker. 

Diana decided she would cut her hair herself. She almost felt silly for having asked a man to do something that she was more than capable of doing on her own. She really was forgetting the ways of the Amazons. They had taught her that if she had a problem that she should solve it and that if she wanted something she should fight for it. Man’s world had made her lazy and entitled. Steve was always there to assist her and if he wasn’t, there was always some other guy around who was willing to play the role of savior to a helpless woman. The women here were taught to go to men for everything and that they weren’t capable of doing anything for themselves. She walked back to the farmhouse where Steve had grown up. 

“Hello, did you have a good walk?” Steve rode up to her on a horse. He put his hand out for her and she grabbed it climbing up behind him. They took a leisurely ride around the property. Steve’s family owned a few acres. Diana decided that wherever they settled down that she wanted lots of space to wander around on too.

“It was all right.” She started.

“Just all right? I should have gone with you.”

“I wanted some time to myself. I was hoping to find something interesting. There isn’t much to do around here though.”

“You don’t like it here too much do you?”

“It’s peaceful.” She offered. 

“Yeah, I always thought so. It’s also a great place to have a family. It’s safe and people really watch out for each other. The air is clean too, not like in the city, and after the war I like how quiet it is. Sometimes I can’t get the sound of the crowded trenches out of my head and all the noise of machine guns and grenades.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that for as long as you did.” Diana said sympathetically. “This would be a good place for a child. I can’t see a child getting into too much trouble around here that’s for sure.”

“You might be surprised. I managed to get into plenty of mischief when I was growing up. I seem to remember a lot of trips to the woodshed.” Steve pointed across the way to a little shack on the property.

“For firewood?”

“For whippings from my father, but I’m pretty sure I deserved every single one of them, some had even been worth it for all the fun I had.” 

“Your father whipped you?” The thought was horrifying to Diana. Steve’s father seemed too nice to do such a thing.

“My father spanked me. He didn’t strike me with a literal whip, and not necessarily in or at the woodshed either, and when he hit me it hurt just enough to make me think twice about doing something wrong again. There was never any permanent damage. Whippings and woodshed, they’re just figures of speech I guess. Some kids would say they got lickings or got a hiding. I just always called it whippings, especially when I got older and he used his belt.”

“Why don’t people just say what they mean?” Diana complained. “And my mother never whipped me or took me to the woodshed as you say, and I didn’t always do as I was told.”

“It wasn’t needed. You turned out perfect.” He looked back at her and smiled.

“Yeah, whatever.” She rolled her eyes and looked annoyed. 

“What’s wrong?” Steve brought the horse to a stop and climbed down. He helped Diana off the horse too, not that she needed it. She could flip off the horse, do a somersault in the air and then land on her feet like it was nothing, if she wanted. He pulled her in for an embrace. He found himself twirling her hair in his fingers.

He loved her hair. He loved running his fingers through it. He loved watching her put it up in different styles. He liked to bury his face in it when they were laying down together or hugging. It smelled wonderful. He liked how it cascaded down her back too. He enjoyed pushing it out of her face also. It gave him yet one more excuse to touch her. She had worn it completely down today and it was blowing all over the place, and was in desperate need of being brushed or combed; most people would probably say that it looked unkempt and that she was too old to wear it down like she was, but he adored it. It reminded him of how wild and free she was and he felt honored that such a woman would even want him in her life.

“I want to bob my hair like we saw the women in Europe do.” 

“What?”

“I’m tired of long hair. I’m tired of how long it takes to brush it and put it up too.”

“I could help you with that.” Steve had watched her do her hair. He figured he could learn to do some of the more elaborate things she did with it. He just really didn’t want her chopping it off.

“It’s heavy and takes forever to wash and dry. In the summer, it gets unbearably hot. It gets caught on my clothes when I leave it down, and in other things, and no matter how careful I am putting it up, it hurts my head. It falls out all the time and is always in my face. Sometimes my arms hurt from always putting it up and washing it. I’m tired of always looking around for combs and pins too. Short hair on a woman is modern too. I want to be modern.”

“You already are modern.” He smiled; modern in that she was different than the vast majority of women, sometimes, he got confused on how to act around her. She was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he was raised to take care of a woman and to protect her, most women of his generation had been taught that a man was supposed to take care of them too, and that they couldn’t do a lot for themselves. He figured that regardless of how capable or incapable any person was, that just being there for someone to watch out for them and to support them, to protect them even, was the decent thing to do, even if they didn’t need it, so he did just that with her; tried his best to be a good person, so far, she hadn’t complained about it.

“I want to exert my independence too and stand in solidarity with the equal treatment of women. We should be able to have short hair if we want.”

“Do you want to maybe think about it for just a little while longer?”

“No, I’ve made up my mind.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.” Diana looked at Steve. He looked uncomfortable. “How do you feel about my hair being bobbed?” She wasn’t sure his opinion should even be a factor in this decision, but she loved him and wanted to make him happy too.

“I don’t think short hair on a woman is very feminine?” There, he had said it. He didn’t know if he should have said it, but that was how he felt and he really did love her hair.

“Why should hair length matter when it comes to femininity?”

“I don’t know why it matters but it does. Guys have short hair, girls have long hair that’s just how it usually is.”

“You sound just like him.” Diana said getting frustrated. She found herself walking away from Steve very quickly.

“I sound like who.” Steve jogged up to her.

“The first barber. I didn’t just take a walk, I went into town to cut my hair. The barber wouldn’t cut it. You would think I asked him to kill someone for me. He was horrible, and the second man I asked, he agreed to it, but said he needed my husband’s consent. Why does one man get to flat out make a decision for me and the other one will only do what I ask if another man gives him permission?”

“Women still have it pretty hard I guess.” 

“It doesn’t have to be that way. It wasn’t that way back home.” Diana hadn’t realized how much she missed her island home.

“I know. I like where you came from. You were raised to be strong and self- sufficient, both men and women could benefit from those things.”

“Are you going to find me less attractive with short hair?” She hated that she even felt the need to ask such a thing, but for some reason she wanted his support. She didn’t want him to stop looking at her the way he did also. She didn’t want him to stop wanting her.

“I don’t know, maybe.” They were always honest with each other. They had agreed to it early on in their relationship. They didn’t always appreciate each other’s honesty, but at least they both got their say and the other listened.

“That’s stupid. There’s more to a woman than her long hair, more to a woman than her physical appearance.”

“I know.” Steve kind of felt like a cad. “I guess I was just raised to believe that long hair is a woman’s crowning glory.” He tried to explain. God, that sounded archaic and lame to even him. 

“It’s my hair. I don’t need some man telling me what I can do with it.”

“You’re right. You don’t.” Steve sighed. He looked at Diana who was storming off again. “Where are you headed now?’

“To the house. I’m going to ask your mother for a pair of scissors.”

“Please don’t cut your hair off.” He hoped that asking nicely might change her mind. “What if you hate it?”

“Then I’ll grow it back.”

“Don’t do it yourself.” 

“Why not?” Diana’s voice was raised this time.

“At least have a professional do it.”

“Two already wouldn’t.”

“I’ll take you to a barbershop then.” He took a deep breath. This was a battle he wasn’t going to win. He would just have to come to terms with her having short hair. It wasn’t even his business really. He wanted Diana to be happy. He wanted her to be herself. Short hair wasn’t a health crisis. No one was going to get hurt by it. He suspected that a lot of people, especially men might give her a hard time over it, and in all honesty, he didn’t want her going through that, but Diana wasn’t afraid to stand out. She would be fine. She’d have his support too, sometimes when something wasn’t popular it helped to have a little backup. He would provide that for her. He couldn’t come to terms with the thought of her messing her hair up so badly though that she had to shave her head or something. This was his compromise. He could be supportive of her decision to have short hair but It should at least be done right.

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“You’re serious?” The barber looked at Steve. “You want your lady to be like a man?”

“I doubt cutting her hair off is going to make her any less of a woman.” Steve said starting to get irritated with Mr. Nolan. The man had been his and his father’s barber for as long as Steve could remember. Mr. Nolan had always been a little gruff but Steve didn’t trust any other barber to take scissors to Diana’s beautiful locks. The man was very capable. He was the most popular barber in town even. He charged more than everyone else but he did a better job than everyone else too. He was also good friends with Steve’s dad. They had grown up together. He was like an uncle to Steve even.

“I don’t like it.” Mr. Nolan complained, staring at Diana who had already made herself comfortable in the barber chair. She had a magazine spread open on her lap with a picture of the haircut she wanted. Short hair on women hadn’t quite taken off yet in the states, but it was still sensational and there were plenty of pictures and commentary on it in the periodicals. Steve had suggested she bring a picture along. “She’s already beautiful if you don’t mind me saying it. I doubt chopping off her curls is going to make her any prettier.”

“It’s not about that.” Diana butted in. She didn’t like people talking about her as if she wasn’t there. “It’s something I need to do.”

“You’re a woman what do you know about what you need?” A customer spoke loudly. 

Steve looked across the room at the man. It was Mr. Evans. He had been raising hell in this town for as long as Steve could remember.

“You know what your girl needs Steve? She needs a good beating to get this nonsense out of her head. You’d do well to put some rules down for her. Teach her to behave like a proper woman, not have her running around town all day by herself doing whatever the hell she pleases and giving in to her whims, that expensive frock from Allison’s you purchased for her that she’s been prancing around town in, and now you’re letting her cut her hair? You women just got the right to vote and now you want to keep your hair short like a man’s too? What’s next? Dressing like us? Taking our jobs? Where does it end? Mr. Evans looked at Diana with disgust.

“That’s enough!” Steve raised his voice. He started to take a step towards the man, but Diana stopped him.

“I got this Steve.” She said to him softly. Diana got up from her chair. She looked at Steve who nodded at her. He took a step back and let her pass him. He didn’t take his eyes off Mr. Evans though. He watched Diana go right up to the man and lean down to talk to him. He had been reading a newspaper.

“It ends when women are treated equal to men.” Diana tried to explain. “When women aren’t viewed as dolls, prizes or possessions, but as human beings capable of making their own choices and living their own lives. When we’re given the same opportunities and choices that men are, then maybe it’ll be closer to ending. Why not be an ally of the equal treatment of women?” Diana smiled. “Why don’t we work together on this?”

“This from a European Whore!” Mr. Evans yelled out angrily, throwing his newspaper at her. He stood up quickly and grabbed at Diana angrily; hating outspoken women who didn’t know their place. Who the hell did she think she was? Diana very quickly and easily blocked him from touching her.

“You don’t have to act like this?” Diana tried to explain. Mr. Evans rushed towards her, but before she could take a step back from him, Steve was by her side. It wasn’t necessary, but Steve found himself pushing Diana protectively behind him. He caught Mr. Evans and raised a fist to him.

“Look Steve I can’t help how I feel.” He hadn’t counted on Steve getting involved. The Steve Trevor he had known was a quiet and gawky kid who mostly stuck to himself or his close group of friends. Mr. Evans had even joked that the kid was a sissy boy, with how quiet he was at times. He supposed he had been wrong. Mr. Evans thought himself an idiot for not expecting Steve to get involved, shy kid or not he had threatened Steve’s woman. That almost never went over well with men. He wondered if he could reason with Steve. “Things are just changing too fast. You’re a Captain in the military. I’m just a lowly civilian you wouldn’t hurt me? Would you?” Mr. Evans found himself swallowing uncomfortably. He looked at Diana with hope. She was a woman. She was soft “Look, I’m sorry sweetheart. Sometimes I can’t control my temper. I wouldn’t have hurt you not really. I’m sure you’ll look real pretty in a bob too. The skirts in my family wouldn’t cut their hair, but you kids these days… I suppose things are just different.” He spoke quickly. “I know your old man Steve.” He said in a last moment of desperation. “He raised you to respect your elders and to talk, not hit in disagreements.” 

The man looked at Steve’s raised fist with uncertainty. Steve was younger than him and much taller and stronger too. He was a trained military man, and from the looks of things Steve was madder than him too at the moment. Mr. Evans didn’t think he’d have a chance in hell against the imposing man in front of him. Diana didn’t exactly look like a damsel in distress either. She held herself with too much confidence and strength. Mr. Evan’s wondered if his wrist was injured. It was incredibly sore from her block. It wasn’t normal.

“Maybe I’m a different man since the War.” Steve said grabbing Mr. Evans by his shirt. He pulled the man towards him.

“Please don’t hurt me.” Mr. Evans pleaded pathetically. He closed his eyes and shrank back from Steve as much as he could.

“You’re not worth it.” Steve said. “You go after Diana again though I’ll forget my upbringing. And, you’ll never find me displeased with her for wanting to be her own person. I’ll never find fault with her for wanting equality either. I’m proud of her for it and I love her.” He let go of Mr. Evans roughly. 

“You weren’t really going to hit him?” Diana said, watching Mr. Evans run out of the barbershop. “I could tell.” She smiled at her fiancé’. “It’s something I love about you.”

“I wasn’t. He’s just a sad, pathetic, man.” Steve said. “ He’s a bully. Sometimes bullies only understand force and need to be stood up to. I’m only sorry I didn’t do it sooner.” Steve picked up Diana’s hand and kissed her on the forearm where she had blocked the man. “I wish you didn’t have to go through that. You could have taken him down if you wanted.”

"I wanted to flood him with kindness instead.”

“I know. it’s one of the things I love most about you.” Steve grabbed Diana by her shoulders and pulled her into him. He kissed her. 

“I could take you down too you know.” Diana broke the kiss.

“You could, but you wouldn’t. “He grabbed her face and tried kissing her again.

“You don’t know that.” Diana laughed. She took a step back from him.

“You wouldn’t. Now come here.”

“No.”

“Right now.”

“Why don’t you come and get me?” Diana taunted

“Don’t make me put down rules on how you should behave.” Steve teased reaching out for her. “Because I will.” He put out his chest and stood up a little taller. He put his hands on his hips.

Diana picked up her hat and threw it at Steve’s head. “You mean you would try.” She laughed at him when he pretended dramatically to fall backwards. “And with little success I’m afraid.”

He tossed the hat back at her, and put his hand out for her. “Please come over here.” He suggested.

“Much better.” Diana smiled taking his hand. Steve pulled her back to him. They both put their arms around each other and hugged for a moment before sharing another kiss.

“Enough of the romance crap. This is a barbershop not a dance hall.” Mr. Nolan interrupted. “Get back here.” He imitated Steve. “No.” He sounded like Diana. “Jesus Christ. It’s bad enough having a woman in a man’s place of business, now I have to watch you two slobber all over each other?” He picked up Diana’s hat and smacked Steve with it. “Save it for the wedding night. And you know what Steve?” He started shaking the hat at him. “I probably lost a customer, thanks a lot. Not that I’m going to miss Mr. Evan’s sorry ass.” He looked at Diana again. “Excuse the language Miss, but Mr. Evans has only gotten rottener, since his wife left him, but that’s what you get when you chose to be a creep.”

“I see.” Diana nodded in understanding.

Mr. Nolan put the hat down on an empty chair and put his hand out for Diana. He held up her hand and pointed to the engagement ring on her finger. It was as beautiful and unique as Diana was. “Good choice on the ring Steve. All right young lady.” He led her back to the chair.” I suggest you get back into the chair before I lose my nerve. You’re going to be the first woman in town to get a bob. Hopefully, you’ll start a trend and I can advertise as the original barber in town to do it, and the best too. This could be good for business actually, not that I’m struggling mind you, and if it’s not good for business, I’m getting ready to retire soon anyway.”

Mr. Nolan pointed to the chair next to Diana’s. “And Steve, when’s the last time you had a decent shave? I know you like those safety razor things, but they’re not a straight edge. You’re letting yourself go Son. Get into the next chair. Your hair is getting a little long too. I’m going to take off a couple inches, unless, it’s long hair you’re after?”

“No, I prefer my hair short.” Steve promised.

“That’ll be the next thing, men with long hair and women with short hair. How much do you want to bet?”

Mr. Nolan grabbed the magazine and stared at the picture of bobbed hair long and hard. He walked around Diana, trying to visualize it. He admitted that he was a little nervous, but he would do his best. He picked up his scissors and shook his head at the two lovers holding each other’s hands. You would think Diana was losing a limb with how tight Steve was holding on, and how concerned he looked. Diana on the other hand had a beautiful smile on her face. They both kept looking at each other. Mr. Nolan finally smacked Steve on the back of the head and told him to stop distracting Diana. She needed to keep her head still or he might make a mistake. Mr. Nolan went to work on the both of them. He saw a long and wonderful future ahead for them.  
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The End. Thank you for reading.


End file.
